Rugby League bans transgender athletes from top events

[2Paws]

www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/61875651

"The International Rugby League (IRL) said it had considered "relevant developments in world sport" in coming to its decision to ban transgender athletes until it had completed research on its final inclusion policy."

Baby steps for now, but so important for rugby. I just hope World Rugby is listening...

I came to post same.

World Rugby have already ruled that males should not play rugby against females (because, you know, risk of death and all 🙄). But various rugby unions, like England’s RFU and Australia’s ARU decided to ignore it and do their own thing and effectively allow self ID 🙄🙄🙄.

I find it hard to see how anyone could reasonably object to this rule. It may be another moment that wakes up those who aren't seeing 'the big deal' with blanket inclusion. If there's a big TRA pushback on it, it may have more of a public 'wtf' reaction than the swimming ruling.

Just heard about this on the radio.

Maybe this, along with the swimming ban and slight movement from cycling, is the beginning of the end of this nonsense.

Let's hope it's permanent. I'm hoping yesterday's announcement is the start of all sports changing their rules. No doubt some trans activists will complain but they cannot argue that it is fair or safe in some sports for biological males to compete with females, whether they wear a dress or not.

I was relieved to see the story when I woke up today.

We separate girls and boys rugby at 12, and my local team lost a cracking female scrum half because of it - but the boys get so much bigger and stronger so quickly - even the ones who don't immediately shoot up or fill out. U12s v U14s is a totally different game!

I wish journalists would get the headlines right on this. Transgender athletes are not banned from sport, they are banned from playing in the opposite sex category. They are welcome to continue to play in the correct sex category.

These moves does not ban people from playing the sport they love. The organisations are simply enforcing the existing rules on participation in a category that was created to allow fair competition for females.

Oh interesting, thanks for sharing. I don't follow League at all but do follow Union. Does World Rugby oversee both?

Very true - I did hesitate on whether to correct the headline.

I thought the quote from the IRL a little further down explained it well though:

"It is the IRL's responsibility to balance the individual's right to participate - a long-standing principle of rugby league and at its heart from the day it was established - against perceived risk to other participants, and to ensure all are given a fair hearing," the organisation said.

I really hope that the decisions made by FINA and the governing body of cycling cause other sports to a) take a fresh look at the science and b) FGS grow a pair and stop caving in to the vicious trans lobby. I know it's hard to be the first one to do it, but two sports have now made a stand (thank god!), so I really hope it makes it easier for the others to follow suit. And the cowardly IOC better be one of them.

Good, the womens game in RL is now taking off massively and I would hate to see that development lost for the sake of “equality”

there is also obvious massive issues with regards the physical differences

Sebastian Coe just spoke on R4 supporting the RL decision, and saying that athletics needs to protect women's sport.

(Paraphrasing slightly there!)

@McDuffy - no, World Rugby only oversees Union (although @NotBadConsidering is right that World Rugby already has guidelines to protect women's Rugby, it's the RFU in England who decided to just ignore that..)

Why only at the top level though? Same with swimming.
How does each sport define "top level" or "elite"?

And what about women who play/swim for their local club every Sunday afternoon - do they have to carry on playing/swimming against men? They will miss out on medals too.

I think everyone has been waiting for that first step and how it's been received . Also the science seems to have been well communicated now.

Seb Coe is an important voice: "Integrity of woman's sport is really really important here."

Hopefully all sporting bodies will feel encouraged to make this decision.

Why don't they just have a trans category?

I think it will trickle down?

I've noticed locally that there are more girls' football teams being set up as girls leave the boy's teams.

Sport will slowly iron out the creases, it gives more credence to a team being set up that's its only "bio women."

My concern is the "puberty" bit but I'm hoping that the info on that is becoming more effective. Cass will be important. We are now seeing more detransitioners who've been in pbs speaking out too.

This is making science NOT bigoted. So it is becoming more acceptable to say, let's look at the evidence to all this.

Good news. How we ever got to the position of biological Males competing against biological Females in contact sport (in all sports come to that) is just insane. The photographs alone spoke a thousand words.

Megan Rapinoe certainly is one of those "no big deal" sheep. Used the same lines as every other TRA on reddit or twitter, "show me where transwomen are dominating women's sport".

Why only at the top level though?

I think this is an important question, particularly for rugby. Top tier rugby players have trained for years, have perfect technique and can judge tackles etc to a millimetre. They also know how to respond to a tackle etc to minimise injury. But it is still obvious that it would be criminally irresponsible to allow mixed sex contact games.

Most of the really terrible injuries (spinal/neck damage) occur at lower levels in the game where skills are much less developed. Mixed sex contact rugby needs to be outlawed here - ideally before some poor woman is killed/permanently disabled.

There is already an option for trans women to play in mixed sex tag rugby if they want.

And there is an issue around trans men on testosterone playing in womens matches.

How anyone thinks there is nothing to see here is baffling.

No World Rugby is Union.

www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/49298550
Reminding everyone about the Transwoman rugby player admitted to a womens team whose coach fondly described as folding a female player like a deckchair.

Unfuckingbelievable!

He can't resist a joke, though, adding: "She's going to be a good, good player for the next few years, as long as we can stop her injuring players in training."

"She folded a girl like a deckchair during a game, which was quite funny, but they're still friends."

There's definitely more analysis of the impact of male puberty too going on.

The light is being shone on facts.

With various people also shining other lights - JKR on detransitioners, Ricky G "HER penis!" Hopefully the insidious gaslighting by stonewall will start to be turned. Trans people deserve to be able to live their lives but they need to be treated honesty (they're being severely let down by medical professionals) and be honest about their bodies.

It's schools I worry most about, I really hope this helps there too.